Premium
Connection between gene dosage and protein stability revealed by a high‐yield production of recombinant proteins in an E. coli LexA1(Ind − ) background
Author(s) -
Medina Manel G.,
Carbonell Xavier,
Villaverde Antonio
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
biotechnology and bioengineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.136
H-Index - 189
eISSN - 1097-0290
pISSN - 0006-3592
DOI - 10.1002/bit.10253
Subject(s) - repressor lexa , recombinant dna , biology , escherichia coli , proteolysis , plasmid , gene , context (archaeology) , protein biosynthesis , bacterial growth , bacteria , biochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , genetics , enzyme , repressor , paleontology
Bacterial production of a plasmid‐encoded bacteriophage P22 tailspike protein shows different yield and impact on cell viability in RecA + LexA + , RecA − LexA + and RecA + LexA1(Ind − ) backgrounds. In a LexA1(Ind − ) context, we have observed lesser toxicity and higher productivity than in the wild‐type strain, in which the bacterial growth was inhibited after induction of recombinant gene expression. Also, a negative effect of the incubation temperature on the growth of producing cells was also detected. By exploring the molecular basis of these inhibitory events, we found a connection between the dosage of the recombinant gene and the proteolytic stability of the encoded protein. Under both genetic and environmental conditions favoring higher plasmid copy number and consequently increasing the synthesis rate of the recombinant protein, enhanced protein degradation was observed in parallel with an important growth inhibition. Altogether, the obtained data suggest the existence of a critical concentration of recombinant protein over which cell proteolysis is stimulated at rates not compatible with optimal physiological conditions for bacterial growth. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 78: 722–730, 2002.